Survival events can typically be characterized by time horizons. In the case of a cataclysmic nuclear exchange or a global currency collapse that horizon is measured in years, if not decades. However, it is the first 24 hours that really make the difference. For a catastrophic weather event or terrorist strike, the first day will be chaos. That first day will be a come-as-you-are event. If you don’t have it handy there will be no time to zip over to the store and pick up a few things. That’s where every other person in your town will be. You want to stay ahead of that curve.

For the prepared American, Taurus has compiled a simple, portable grab-and-go box that gets you everything you need to survive those first 24 hours. Don’t fret about finding food, starting a garden or improvising dental floss. You can tend to that later. Taurus just gets you through that first critical day.

The Taurus First 24 survival kit contains everything you might need to weather the first day of a crisis. It includes the capable Taurus Judge revolver, a CRKT knife, Brite-Strike lights, paracord and more.

Prepper Firepower

No other contrivance in the history of humankind levels the playing field in a fallen world better than the handheld firearm. The heart of the Taurus First 24 survival kit is a splendid one.

The Taurus Judge has attained the status of modern-day firearms legend. The Judge comes from the factory with an Aimpro Tactical enhancement package that includes melting the sharp edges and custom tuning the action. Chambered for .45 LC/.410 and sporting a 3-inch barrel, the Taurus Judge is compact, relatively lightweight and powerful.Given the broad range of available loadings in both .45 Long Colt and .410, the Judge is a uniquely flexible handgun.Additionally, as a revolver, it is as reliable as a screwdriver.

The Judge takes advantage of an arcane bit of American firearms law allowing it to fire shotshells out of a handgun chassis without the legal burden of any exceptional government paperwork.As such, the Judge can launch any appropriate .410 birdshot, buckshot, slugs or exotic defensive loadings.For more conventional applications, the Judge can fire the entire spectrum of .45 LC rounds ranging from low-cost FMJs to high-end defensive loads as well.

As the greatest challenge in the first 24 hours of a crisis is typically ensuring that your fellow humans behave themselves, the Taurus Judge, coupled with a green fiber optic front sight, keeps folks playing nice. Additionally, a Hogue Monogrip tames recoil and a brace of Bianchi Speed Strips carries your spare reloads.

A better look at the supplies that come with your Taurus First 24 Survival Kit

Bug-Out Essentials

A decent knife is the most basic of survival tools. Whether something needs to be cut, trimmed, pried or stuck, it is imperative that you have a proper blade. The Taurus First 24 kit contains the Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) Sting fixed-blade survival knife. Hot forged from a blank of 1050 carbon steel, the same sort of alloy used to build traditional samurai swords, the CRKT Sting is then precision ground and coated with proprietary ExtremeCoat protective coating. The resulting tool is functionally indestructible.

Unless you live in the arctic in the summertime, at some point in that first 24 hours it is going to get dark. Once night falls, the guy with the light keeps working, moving and surviving. The guy without the light just sits around waiting for something bad to happen.

The Brite-Strike EPLI is a powerful penlight that drops in your pocket, yet it instantly dispels the darkness to a degree that belies its size. Waterproof, shockproof and rugged, the EPLI sports an aluminum body and a strobe function. The EPLI utilizes a Cree LED that approximates the color of natural sunlight and includes both low and high settings via a digital power management system.

The Taurus First 24 kit also includes three Brite-Strike All Purpose Adhesive Light Strips (APALS) in red, white and green. These disposable, battery-powered light sources include a stick-anywhere 3M adhesive backing and run for 80 hours in either fast strobe, slow strobe or steady on modes. These lights are waterproof, shockproof and dustproof, and are visible for half a mile in darkness. They are used for signaling or general lighting purposes.

You’ll also need to be able to make a fire. A Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit includes a flint striker wheel and waxed tinder sticks in a waterproof case. The obligatory survival blanket can help you retain life-saving warmth when you are wet and cold. While it will not keep you comfortable in a snow cave at 40 below zero, it will indeed help keep you alive.

A Suunto mini compass will keep you walking in the right direction and 25 feet of 550 cord will tie stuff up, hang things out and lash gear down with aplomb. Typical 550 cord is like duct tape. Strip it down and the inner cords can be tied into a makeshift fish net.

The whole kit comes in an indestructible SKB case. The Taurus First 24 kit includes pretty much everything you need to weather that first awful day in a crisis. Tuck it in your car and you’ll be prepared for almost any reasonable emergency. For more information, visit taurususa.com or call 800-327-3776.

This article was originally published in the SURVIVOR’S EDGE ™ Spring 2015 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions here.

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